Half his age
by Zaydee Kaine
Summary: This girl's an open page book marking - she's so close now. This girl is half his age.
1. Part 1: Chapter 1

The first two years had been less than satisfactory, or even happy for that matter. Although she had left her muggle friends who were not all together too intriguing, the people her age that she met at Hogwarts were no better. Upon arriving at Hogwarts she had had a million and one expectations with very few of those being met. She had gotten a new life, where she could find some friends and at last take interesting classes. So far she had not made many friends, and the only class that interested her was potions.

Her oldest sister left her outside of platforms nine and ten as usual, not caring to look back as she walked back to the car, still wondering how on earth her sister got to that strange school. Upon crossing the border to the train station, the scarlet steam train greeted her with its billowing smoke. Carrying only a trunk and a small messenger bag, she did not bother to say hello to her fellow third years. She knew it would be out of sorts to greet them after the holiday, especially since none had cared enough to write to her.

Mabel had been holed up in her room all summer. Though large and luxurious, it held no measure to the walls of Hogwarts. And even Hogwarts had its down sides, such as the noisy common room. Her room back home was white washed, with a matching floor and walls of white, and mostly white furniture as if her family were trying to cleanse her through redecorating her room to their taste.

It is not as if she was an unkempt girl though, her family just seemed not to accept the fact that she was a witch. It did not help that she did not look like the rest of her family though. Her hair was a light brown, whereas theirs was blonde. She wore her hair long, and it has a natural wave to it that her family seemed to lack. Her eyes were brown, whereas theirs were blue; it was a strange combination. The family had figured they should have known she would be "different" from just her appearance. She had spent days on end laying on her bed, or the floor, pieces of parchment crumpled around her as she wrote notes on things she found interesting in her books.

Not all the books she brought with her were those of the Wizarding sort. She occasionally found herself wandering to the Muggle library, indulging in the occasional fictional story that could never compare to the wonders of the wizarding world. She found one of those books in her bag as she settled in to her compartment, knowing others would join her simply for the lack of an opening anywhere else. In her corner, she cracked open a book entitled "Lost Souls," with a black cover and red writing. She had read this one numerous times, and had finally resolved to steal it from the library since she seemed to be the only one who ever checked it out.

The train ride was the same as the past three years, starting out sunny and warm and eventually turning to grey with rain splattering the windows. The countryside flew past the window, and became wilder. The neat fields were now gone and replaced with dark green hills and twisting woods. The train ride droned on, as did the conversation in the cabin while Mabel sat curled in the corner, indulging in her favorite activity.


	2. Chapter 2

Schedules were handed out at breakfast in the Great Hall, and Mabel could not wait to get her hands on it. She would be able to finally fill her time up with meaningful activities, unlike during the summer where there was a lot of laying around and waiting. Upon receiving her schedule, Mabel realized she had to wait until Wednesday for her favorite class – Potions. That seemed all the more excruciating since she had double Herbology right before it. She knew the week would drag on until then.

Always in front of other students to get to Potions class, Mabel set up her cauldron and her Standard Potion-Making Kit on the tabletop and pulled out her _Intermediate Potion-Making (Level 3)_ book. She took her seat as the other Slytherin's, as well as the fourth year Hufflepuff's filed in and took their seats. It was a mixed lot of students with Slytherin's being excited to earn their house points during this class, and Hufflepuff's dreading the greasy potions master.

The potions master swept in with his cloak billowing behind him, the dungeon door slamming closed behind him. When he got to the front of the room, he turned on his heel, his black eyes coolly looking around the room at his new group of pupils. Many of them, he noted, were quite a disappointment to the fine art of potions making, though not all of them. His eyes scanned over Mabel, sitting in her usual spot looking ready to brew something, anything. She definitely had potential.

"Since the list of school supplies was sent out early this year, I trust you all had plenty of time over the summer to review Intermediate Potion-Making, Level 3. Because of this, we will be having a closed book test to see just how much you have all forgotten over the summer vacation."

Groans could be heard accompanying this declaration from the greasy potions professor. They were groans from nearly every students, but not Mabel. As the stack of quizzes passed by, one landing square in front of her, she could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment. All those hours spent pouring over her new potions book with its glossy cover and fresh-book smell would pay off. And she was eager to prove herself as a worthy potions maker.

"There will be no need for talking." Snape announced as a few people had begun to mutter amongst themselves. But upon hearing this, the room fell silent. There was more scratching of heads than scratching of quills, though for Mabel it was easy.

_Question 1: Upon getting a cut, one could use to soak the cut in._

That one was easy, it was Essence of Murtlap. Mabel knew she would ace the quiz as she went on further, even knowing the correct answer to the extra credit. Although she knew all the answers, people seemed to be giving up around her and turning in their tests not completed. Anthony McLendon turned his in with only his name on it, obviously not having thought about studying over the summer vacation. "Five minutes, Miss Sykes" came the potions professors' voice, as Mabel looked around to realize everybody else was gone. She looked up at Professor Snape and nodded her head, re-checking her answers as quickly as she could. Packing up her bag and grabbing her cauldron and its ingredients, she hurried up to the front of the class, a small smile of satisfaction on her face as she placed her test on the top of the rest. She hurried out of the potions classroom, feeling awkward being left alone with the potions master whom she so revered. She could not wait until Friday when she had her next potions lesson.

"Well done, Miss Sykes" came Professor Snape's voice as he handed her back her test with a large O written on it. Her shyness got the better of her, and she took the test in silence, eyes beaming as she saw no red marks except the grade at the top of the page. She could feel the rest of the class slump in their chairs, or groan as they got back their abhorrent grades. She put the test away quickly, hoping that today they would be actually making a potion since that was much more fun than taking a test on potions.

"Because of the dreadful grades most of you have received, you will be making a Fire Protection Potion, which will need to be left to cure over the weekend, and we will pick it up on Wednesday." This was bad news for most of the class, since they would all have to finish the first half before the end of the hour or their potion would be completely ruined.

As people got to work, Professor Snape made his way around the classroom, sneering at some of the Hufflepuff's as they mixed up Graphorn with Hellebore or turned counter-clockwise instead of clockwise, turning their potions a raspberry color with a smell equal to the taste of brussels sprouts. As Snape made his way to the Slytherin side of the classroom, his mood did not improve, although he did stop belittling the students. Upon coming to Mabel's potion he stopped, the chartreuse potion looking exactly as it should.

"Well done Miss Sykes, 10 points to Slytherin. I wish I could say that for the rest of the Slytherin's however" and he continued walking down the rows of students who tried harder to get in all their ingredients by the end of the hour.

Mabel had cleaned up and put her potion on the shelf to be cured over the weekend a full five minutes before the period was up. She sat in her seat, pouring over the potions ingredients again just to make sure she did everything right. "Time is up, please put your potions with a name placard on the shelf and we shall see what they look like on Wednesday."

With this, Mabel stood up and packed her bag although she hugged her potions book close, and as she exited she couldn't see that behind her, the potions master cold dark eyes seemed to soften for a moment as he watched the brilliant young girl leave the room amidst the chaos of the other fourth years.


	3. Chapter 3

It was past curfew for Mabel, and she knew that if she did not get back to the common room soon, she would lose her house some major points and she couldn't deal with all the harassment that would come along with that. Although she seemed to win her house many points, the girls in her house were never shy on telling her she was out of line when she lost them points. As she turned down a corridor towards one of the many staircases that led towards the dungeon, she bumped in to some older fifth year girls.

"Watch where your going, you bloody klutz!"

Rachel distinctively knew that voice and those shrill laughs as she picked up the book and scrolls she had just dropped. Picking them up, her eyes fell upon Rachel Crockford and her group of cronies. Rachel was a Prefect, and could get her in some major trouble. She was a short and round girl with red hair and bright green eyes, though the paleness of her skin almost made her look like one of the castle ghosts.

"Sorry, I… I'm in a hurry…"

"I bet you are, ickle little fourth year. You've been caught out of bed after curfew, and I have to report this to Professor Snape"

"You don't have to, I… I can just be on my way, I was just going to the common room."

"There's only one way I'll let you off the hook."

There was a way, Mabel had hope – she churning in her stomach lightened slightly as she looked hopefully at Rachel.

"You write my 12-inch potions essay and I won't tell Professor Snape."

Mabel's jaw nearly dropped, for 12 inches on a 6th year level was asking too much. "I can't do that! I wouldn't… wouldn't know what to write"

"Well then I guess I can just bring you to Professor Snape's office can't I?"

"Please don't. I can't write that long of an essay, please don't report me."

"It's too late, c'mon"

One of the cronies, a tall lanky girl with blonde hair who looked like a cat grabbed Mabel's arm, and the group began their march down the narrow stone staircase from the entrance Hall to the dungeons. Halfway down, they found the door to the potions office.

Upon making it to the office, Rachel knocked three times, and they waited. With any luck, Professor Snape would already have retired for the night. But Mabel wasn't running off of luck on this particular night.

"Enter" came the stern voice from behind the door, and Rachel pushed open the door and dragged Mabel inside. Professor Snape was sitting behind his desk, scratching away with a quill on some parchment, though this quickly stopped as she looked up when the two women entered. The room was lined with jars containing potions, although they were hard to see since the room was dimly lit and there was no fire in the fireplace.

"Sorry for disturbing you professor, but I found Mabel out of bed two hours after curfew. I knew I had to report this to you right away."

Snape was surprised to see his favorite student standing before him for breaking a rule, since she always seemed to keep out of trouble. He put his quill back in the inkwell as his eyes traveled back to Rachel. "Thank you Miss Arkwright for reporting this infraction. I'll take it from here."

Rachel let go of Mabel's arm wit a bit of a shove, and left the room. Only three steps down the stairs the girls burst out in to roars of laughter as they ran off, back towards the common room. Professor Snape kept his eyes on Mabel as she looked down at the ground, holding back her tears. She never broke the rules; she was one of the most law-abiding students in all of Hogwarts. And to top it off, she had been at the library studying for an Astronomy test the next day, not off breaking rules like some students.

"Have a seat, Miss Sykes." He motioned to one of the two empty chairs that faced his desk and Mabel sat down. The deeply hued leather chairs were as cold as ice, and she sat on the very edge of her seat, putting her books and scroll down in her lap.

Mabel looked up at Professor Snape and saw his cold, black eyes looking at her expectantly. She felt she had to say something, to justify herself before he sentences her to detention. "I'm sorry Professor, I was in the library and I –"

Snape held up his hand to cut her off, and she fell silent in the middle of her explanation.

"I expect more from you, Miss Sykes." His words were like ice, as cold as the chair she sat upon. He continued, "However, I have a feeling that you were out after curfew for a good reason. And considering Miss Arkwright has a bad habit of abusing her power…" he paused, seeing Mabel look up slowly as she listened, "I will let you off this time. I will hope that next time you can keep an eye on your watch and not get caught out of the common room after curfew."

Mabel felt a weight lifted off her shoulder, and could feel herself start to smile as she looked back at the potions master. "I promise I'll never, ever be out after curfew again. Thank you, Professor."

His eyes softened as she squeaked out her apology, and Snape continued, "I am glad, however, that you have been brought to my office. I wanted to discuss potions lessons with you."

Mabel never liked getting attention from authority figures, and began to silently panic. Had she done something wrong? Had one of her potions been wrong? Did she use the wrong ingredients? Her head started to fill with questions.

"You are quite a talented potions students. One of the best I have ever seen. I see in you a knack for potions that I had when I was your age, though your skills are far from refined." His voice was quiet now and soft, unlike in class when it was sharp and mean to students who did not follow the directions correctly.

"If it interests you, I would be willing to give you private potions lessons once a week, to help you refine your skills. Your instinct for potions is far greater than those of your peers, and I would like to help you reach your full potential." His hands were in his lap as he offered her his assistance, and Mabel could feel a smile crawl upon her face that had just been about to shed tears only minutes earlier.

"Of course! I… I mean, I am very interested. When do we start?" Mabel allowed the potions master to hear the eagerness in her voice, feeling like this was almost a dream come true.

Snape held back a chuckle as her enthusiasm, and instead nodded his head. "Monday nights would probably be best, hmm?"

"Yes, Monday nights would be perfect." She could feel her mood lifting with every second at the prospect of having potions Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was exactly what she wanted.

"I will expect you here at six o'clock, and do not be late for do not forget you are walking a thin line, what with being out after curfew tonight." He tried to reinforce his position as her head of house.

"Monday, 6 o'clock." She repeated as she got to her feet, thinking of all the possible potions she would begin to make.

"And you will only need your cauldron and Standard Potion-Making Kit, I will be supplying a book different than the one used for class." He watched her stand up, clutching her book and rolls of parchment, nearly glowing. He was glad she was excited about the lessons as well.

"Alright. Have a good night, Professor." She made a quick exit from the potions office, closing the door behind her. Upon standing on the staircase outside the door, Mabel felt her smile curl up from ear to ear and sprinted towards the Slytherin common room. She could not believe that Professor Snape had offered her private potions lessons. It really was a dream come true.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday couldn't come soon enough. Mabel was so nervous she didn't even eat dinner. Instead, she opted to sit in the common room by the fire, reviewing her most recent potions essay that was due on Wednesday. At five minutes to six o'clock, she went down to her dormitory room to get her cauldron and Potion-Making kit. At exactly six o'clock, she knocked on the potions office door, and a familiar voice replied,

"Enter."

Mabel pushed open the door, once again greeted by Professor Snape behind his desk. Only this time he was standing, stirring a potion that was letting off an odor of freshly laid sod.

"You are quite punctual with your timing. This is a good quality to have as a potion-maker." He put down the wooden cooking spoon he had been stirring the potion with.

"I wouldn't ever be late for a potions lesson" she beamed as she put her cauldron on the desk next to his. She thought she saw him hold back a chuckle, but couldn't be sure. Perhaps he was sneering at her, but she didn't care; he had offered to teach her private potions lessons, and she felt like it was an honor.

Looking at his pupil, he spoke softly and the harsh tone that he normally exhuted during class time was gone.

"These lessons… will not be easy. I will be pushing you to your full potential, and to do this you might find some of the potions difficult. They are very advanced for someone your age, however I know that you will learn to do them correctly. Potion making is an art, and some of the ingredients we will be using are highly dangerous. You will need to use the utmost caution when proceeding with some of our potions, but with each lesson, I assure you that you will be that much better of a potion maker."

Mabel listened intently, fixated on his words as he spoke. She knew her skills were a bit sloppy when it came to potions, and was a bit nervous that she might mess up an ingredient with disastrous results.

"For our lessons we will be using Arsenius Jigger's _Magical Drafts and Potions_."

He handed the book to Mabel, and she took it gingerly in her fingers. She ran her hand over the cover, admiring the old-fashioned lettering and the freshly printed words. The book had a traditional brown leather cover, but the words were printed in a dark orange color. It was simple, but the best book she had ever seen.

"I think it best that we start at Chapter 1, which is the Befuddlement Draught."

Mabel put the book on the table next to her cauldron and was in awe that he had given her such a wonderful book. She had heard Professor Snape make reference to it before in class. She also knew that there was a copy of it in the restricted section of the library, and now she had her own copy.

"Is that like the Confusing Concoction?"

"The same exact one." Snape suddenly felt some tension get lifted upon hearing this. She knew a lot more about potions than she let on even though she already seemed to know more than other students. "You can find most of the ingredients you will need around my office. Over here," he indicated to the wall on the right of the door leading to the hallway, "are animal parts, in alphabetical order. Read the labels carefully for some ingredients are next to others that are similar, such as dragon heart, and dragon horn. Over here," he indicated to an empty space that spanned the entirety of one side of the wall, "is the barrier between animal parts and plant parts, and the plant parts are also in alphabetical order. Any of the simply ingredients you could need will be in your Potion-Making kit."

Mabel listened intently, following his hand gestures and looking at the places he pointed. She was so excited to have a nearly free-reign of ingredients, as long as they applied to the potions she was making of course.

"I will help you with potions procedures if I have not taught you them, however if you have questions about anything else, you should ask. That is why I am here, to help you understand the delicate art of potion making and it is better to ask for clarification with some of the ingredients than continue unsurely. Now get started, you should be able to finish the potion in the hour we have for this lesson."

Mabel nodded her head, staying quiet as she filled her cauldron with warm water and started the burner under it. She gathered the necessary ingredients, beginning with the sneezewort. Snape continued with his potion, crushing up a red root that turned in to a powder. Mabel was mystified, for this was something she'd never seen, and was obviously an ingredient she didn't know.

Upon getting to the scurvy-grass however, she found herself biting her lip. Unsure of what to do, and remembering his words, Mabel asked him for help.

"I'm not quite sure what to do with the scurvy-grass, the directions aren't very clear." Snape looked up from his potion at her cutting board and the blades of grass sitting there.

"Your first problem is the way you are holding your knife." He motioned for her to hand over the knife and cutting board. She slid them across the desk to him. "You want to put your finger here, on the top of the blade. It gives you more control and makes each cut better. Then with grass, there is a trick. Always cut them vertically, it just seems to make them more potent in potions." He sliced the scurvy-grass a few times, then slid the cutting board and knife to her. "Now you try."

The rest of the lesson went on in mostly silence, Snape and Mabel each working on their own potions. Mabel found the potion quite challenging, but found that she naturally was good at adding the right amount of ingredients. At the end of the lesson, she looked up to see Snape watching her. But for the second that she caught his eyes she saw something different than what she normally saw when they were in class.

"Very good. It looks perfect. If you would like, you may keep a vial since it is your potion." He opened a drawer in his desk and took out two glass vials. Mabel filled each, and corked them.

"Should I rinse out the rest?"

"Oh no, that is not necessary. A useful spell for a potions master is the Evanesco spell." Snape took out his wand, holding it over the cauldron. "Simply tap the cauldron, and say the word 'Evanesco'." The potion vanished and the cauldron was left sparkling clean. Mabel looked down at the cauldron in awe, then back at Professor Snape. "Next Monday we'll have you try it, hmm?"

"That's an excellent spell!" She was excited about learning that spell, since it would make cleaning up much easier. She decided she would try that on her orange juice in the mornings. And upon hearing her enthusiasm, Snape could not help but let the corner of his lip turn in to a smile.

Mabel took her vial of the Confusing Concoction and put it in her bag, packing up her book and potions kit in to her cauldron. Before leaving though, she turned to look back at Snape, "Thanks for the lesson Professor, I'll see you on Wednesday."

"Indeed, you will. Now get back to the common room before Miss Arkwright has a chance to catch you out after curfew."

Mabel could hear the humor in his voice, and cracked a small smile before she exited the office. The hallway was much colder than his office, and she went back to her common room where she knew she would curl up in front of the fire and fall asleep reading her new potions book.


	5. Chapter 5

The lessons continued in this fashion. Week after week she found herself in Professor Snape's office on Monday nights, concocting potions she knew were more adequate for a fifth year student. But she was having an amazing time learning of the new ingredients, never having known that the field of potions was so expansive. And there were still new potions yet to be discovered.

Ever since that first lesson, Snape had made sure to be very strict with Mabel. He made sure she did everything correctly, frequently looking over at what she was doing without her knowing it. But she seemed to have this strange intuitiveness when it came to potions, and she seemed to know exactly what to do even with some ingredients she had never encountered. She was brilliant.

He found himself watching her delicate hands working with the ingredients, simple fingers carefully adding each one to the potions. She had exceeded expectations so far, and he had never seen anyone with a knack for potions like her, save for himself of course.

Snape found himself in front of his fireplace one night as the rain beat against the window. He sipped a glass of red wine, watching the flames as they licked at the wood. His thoughts drifted to Mabel, and of the lesson they had earlier that night.

She looked particularly disheveled tonight, though she always looked good and was always of a sound mental state when doing potions. A picture of her crossed his mind: her brown tresses falling in her face, sleeves rolled up and jaw tight as she focused on making a root in to powder. The way her fingers touched each ingredient so delicately, she had everything necessary for a good potions mistress. He snapped out of his daydream, the flames having entranced him.

What was he thinking? Inside him there was a longing for kinship, and he knew she had everything he wanted. But she was his pupil, and he was not only her professor but her head of house, too old for her. But as he looked in to his glass of wine, trying to make excuses for his thoughts, he could not imagine that down in the common room Mabel had the same confused thoughts.

Halloween was upon them before they knew it. It fell on a Friday, which meant twice as many hooligans all around the castle. The Slytherin common room was filled with students, the older students casting spells to make bottles explode, or books fall off shelves on to the heads of first years. Mabel could not deal with all the noise, which was worse than usual, so she retreated from the common room. It was pouring rain outside, but she decided to go to the astronomy tower anyways. It was quite a walk to get up all four staircases, especially when the staircases kept changing on you.

She finally got to the top of the tower, sighing as she pulled her scarf close. She was glad to see it had stopped raining, although it was still overcast. The lightning was brilliant, lighting up the night sky enough that at times it was almost like day. She leaned on a railing, letting out a soft, sad sigh as she looked out onto the grounds. Hogwarts was not what she had expected; the only good thing coming out of it was her weekly potions lessons with Snape. Her spirits were low, feeling like they reflected the colors of the storm clouds above.

Little did she know that she had been followed. A shadowy figure lurked down the staircase slightly, watching as Mabel looked out upon the grounds. The astronomy tower had one of the best views, at least of the west end of the grounds. Snape stood there watching his pupil, having the feeling that she wanted to be alone. However, he had never seen her walk anywhere out of the ordinary. It was always to the library, class or the common room with the occasional stop at the Great Hall for a quick meal. But tonight she was somewhere unexpected, and alone.

They both stood in silence, Mabel not knowing that Snape was watching. She finally could not take her thoughts anymore, putting her head in her hand. Why was life so difficult to her? Why did Rachel need to pick on her all time? It seemed that when Rachel said some snide remark, everyone would chime in. She tried to take it as a grain of salt for she knew it was not her fault she was not like them. She knew she was more than their snide remarks, and she knew so much about every subject she took at Hogwarts. Yet they constantly badgered her and belittled her.

In the midst of these thoughts, she felt someone next to her and raised her head thinking it was just her imagination. Imagine her surprise upon seeing her favorite professor standing next to her, and she gasped as she jumped from being so startled at seeing him. He slowly and casually leaned on the railing, not saying anything as she took a small side step, putting some space between them. She looked back out at the scenery, feeling much less secluded now. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy his company, she just had not been expecting to see anyone, much less Professor Snape, at the top of the astronomy tower on Halloween.

After a few minutes of silence, Snape felt he had to break the tension he felt.

"I can see I interrupted some major thoughts."

"Oh no, I was just… looking at the view. I always enjoyed it." Her tone was not very convincing.

"You're a terrible liar, Miss Sykes."

Mabel could not help but laugh a little bit, nodding her head. She had always been a bad liar, even towards her parents. A silence fell upon them again, and Snape felt he had to strike up some sort of conversation because his favorite student was definitely distressed over something.

"Not many students would be caught coming up to the Astronomy tower on a Friday night, especially when it's a holiday."

Mabel nodded her head, smiling slightly as she looked out over the castle grounds. "The common room was too noisy, I couldn't hear myself think."

"Ah, yes, I would find that quite annoying as well."

"I couldn't deal with the noise, and I always like coming up here. It's just so beautiful, especially when there's clouds."

"I've found this spot to be quite soothing late at night."

"So you come up here often?" It was the first question she had asked of him that did not relate to potions.

"Yes, usually after curfew of course." He could not help but crack a smile, the curfew thing bringing back memories of Arkwright.

Mabel could not help smiling a bit too, and was surprised when she looked over to see him smiling. She never caught him smiling, since she was busy looking in to a simmering cauldron or cutting up ingredients. She could tell he did not smile very much in his life, which made her slightly sad because it looked good on his face. She quickly looked away upon thinking this, watching the lightning spark in the sky.

He felt the tension between them ease, not feeling so bad now that he had interrupted her thoughts since he was contributing to them. They stood there for nearly an hour before Snape looked at the watch on his left wrist and straightened up. "You should be getting back to the common room."

Mabel looked at her own watch, frowning. She did not want to go to the common room, it was too noisy but she had to. She nodded her head, taking one last look out at the horizon. "I should be getting back…" She paused, feeling an awkwardness between them and was not sure why. "Have a good Halloween" were her parting words before she walked to the stairs.

"You as well, Miss Sykes" he replied, watching her walk down the stairs. He hoped he had made her mood a bit better, and turned to look back out at the castle grounds.


	6. Chapter 6

It was not a good year for the Slytherin Quidditch team. They had lost two of their games already, which meant they were out of the running for the house cup. They had only one game left, but it didn't matter if they won or lost since they could achieve nothing more than a few house points. Mabel knew that Professor Snape would be in a bad mood during their Monday potions lesson. She had already resolved to ask as few questions as possible and to make sure her potion was done as accurately as possible so he wouln't get upset with her. The last Quidditch game that Slytherin lost had proved to put Snape in a bad mood, so bad that he'd taken 50 points away from Hufflepuff during the Potions lesson on Wednesday so Mabel would make sure that tonight she would dot her I's and cross her T's.

When she knocked on the door to the potions office, she was greeted with the usual "Enter." However this time it was said with a bit of a sneer, rather than the usual calm tone. When Mabel entered, she was surprised to see that the fireplace had been lit. Mabel noted that the office was a lot warmer than it usually was because of this, but her potions professor seemed a lot colder than usual. He barely looked up as she walked in the door and began to set up her materials. She didn't need to be told to turn to chapter 10 and begin working

She began getting the ingredients for the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. She began with crushing the peppermint in her mortar and pestle, making sure to crush it to a very fine powder. All that could be heard in the potions office was the crackling of the fire and Professor Snapes vigorous chopping. Mabel could hear in each chop that he was very upset and tense, so she tried to work as quietly and correctly as possible.

Upon beginning to stir in the valerian roots, Snape put down his knife, letting out a stressed sigh. "You're not stirring it right. It's in the wrist." Mabel jumped at his short tone, and began to stir with her wrist, whatever that meant. But Snape found her to be doing it wrong still, and voiced it. "You're still not doing it right" he snapped at her.

He walked around the desk to her side, "Let me show you, here." He took the stirring spoon from her, stirring slower than she had, moving his wrist more than his arm. He looked at her to make sure she was watching, and she nodded her head. "Now you try." Mabel couldn't seem to get the spoon stirring right, and knew that Professor Snape wouldn't be so upset with such a petty thing as stirring if he was in a better mood.

"No, no. Look." It was the first time Mabel had felt Snape's touch, and his hands were surprisingly gentle on her wrist even though his tone was harsh.

Mabel remained holding the spoon while he moved her wrist, and with a silent chuckle she let out an inspired, "Oooh" as if it were a mystifying task she had just learned.

Upon hearing her sarcastic tone, Snape let go of her hand and looked at her as if he might yell at her. But he couldn't find anything to say to her, for he realized he had been out of line. He found himself letting out a small laugh, a smile making an appearance on his face. Upon hearing his laugh, Mabel began to quietly laugh too, realizing that he knew he had been a bit too rigid with her.

Snape didn't apologize (yet), but he walked to the fireplace and tossed another piece of wood on the fire, and went back to his chopping. It wasn't so vigorous this time, taking more time to make sure each piece was sliced precisely. Mabel couldn't help but smile as she finished adding her ingredients and stirred them all together.

At the end of the hour, Mabel bottled up her potion in to two bottles and used the Evanesco spell to clean out her cauldron. After putting everything in to her cauldron, Snape spoke up.

"I apologize… for my temper earlier. I'm a little bent out of shape about our Quidditch team this year – " His words were slow, as if he had to think about them and it was obvious to Mabel that he was not used to apologizing. Mabel felt a soft spot for him, and reached across the table to put her hand on Snape's, essentially cutting him off. He looked up at her from the cutting board he had been staring at, realizing just how brown her eyes really were.

"I know, I'm upset about it too. It's alright." She smiled at him. Her hand was warm on his and soft, and he was struck by the softness of her skin just as he had been when he'd exploded at her earlier about her stirring technique. Mabel took her hand back to help her carry her cauldron only a second later, bidding Snape a good night as she left the office. She was shocked as soon as she walked out to the staircase because it seemed to be absolutely freezing out here. However, the palm of her hand was warm from touching Snapes.

p/p

The last private potions lesson of the semester came too quickly for both Mabel and Snape. The lesson came and went too quickly, the usual silence falling between them was thicker than on other nights. While Mabel was staying in the castle, Snape was leaving for the holiday back to Spinner's End. Mabel had finished up her potion and cleaned out her cauldron before Snape decided to give her the Christmas gift he had concocted.

"I should probably get back to the common room." It was obvious that Mabel was very sad to be leaving, since she would not be having any potions lessons over the Christmas holiday.

Snape lifted his head from the potion he was working on, looking at her crestfallen figure. "Before you go, I have something for you."

Mabel perked up, surprised that he had something for her. She put her cauldron and _Magical Drafts and Potions_ on the desk as Snape went towards the shelves of potions on the left. He pulled a bottle off the shelf that was triangular with a straight neck on it. The liquid inside looked foggy as he held it up to her, and she walked to him.

Snape spoke quietly, looking directly at Mabel as the potion bottle sat flat on his palm. "Its a little thing… to keep you company over Christmas."

Mabel looked up in to his black eyes, and saw softness in them he had only let out few times before. "A Christmas gift?" She paused, looking at the bottle, "I… I didn't get you anything." She felt horrible now. How could she have not gotten him anything?

Snape chuckled slightly, a rare smile appearing on his face. "It's not a big deal, just something I stirred up."

Mabel took the potion bottle and uncorked it. "Vanilla?"

"Watch." He was looking at the potion bottle. And just after he said that, a steam came out of the bottle and began to spiral. But it was not normal spirals, the tresses of smoke curled in to small hearts before dispersing. Mabel let out a small gasp, and looked up at Snape, a small smile on her face.

"It's wonderful," she whispered, in awe of its beauty. How simple, and yet wonderful. She wondered how he had concocted it, but knew he would never tell.

"You like it?" He knew she did, he could tell she was blown away by it.

"I love it." Her smile grew as she looked back at the potion. "It's perfect."

Mabel put the cork back in the bottle before looking back at Snape. "I'm glad you like it." Snape took Mabel's free hand gently in his, and she was once again surprised by his touch. He kissed the back of her hand, and then balled her hand up in both of his. "I hope you have a good holiday Miss Sykes." As quickly as he had grabbed her hand, he let her hand go.

Mabel watched him kiss her hand, feeling her breath taken away by him. She paused for a moment when he let her hand go, and threw her arms around him, catching him off guard. Snape found his arms wrapping around Mabel's tiny waste, hugging her close. Her hair smelt so good, and she was very soft to the touch. She was so petite though, he felt like his arms could have reached completely all the way around her. They held the embrace for a few seconds, Mabel finally breaking away, catching Snape's eye for a brief moment before looking away blushing.

Snape saw the blush and could not help but smile at her. He brushed some hair from her face, but quickly withdrew his arms from her, realizing he was going too far. They broke apart without a word, Mabel grabbing her things and Snape going back to his potion.

"Have a good holiday" Mabel mumbled as she left the potions office, closing the door behind her. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and had to lean against the wall of the staircase to gain her balance. She realized now that her knees were weak, and looking at the little potion bottle was not helping. She could not help but have a small spring in her step as she walked back to the common room, knowing she still had potions on Wednesday and Friday to look forward to before she would go a full month without seeing Professor Snape.


	7. Chapter 7

Mabel spent most of Christmas in the common room. She spent the entire time reading every potions book she could get her hands on in the library. She was the only one in her dormitory who had stayed at Hogwarts over winter break. So every night she would sit on her four-poster and watch the spirals of hearts swirl up from the potion that Snape had given her. It always brought a smile to her face, and she would lay awake wondering what Snape was doing at that moment.

The first private potions lesson was very melancholy. Mabel was ecstatic to begin the lessons again in the spring semester. Snape revealed to her that he spent the entire winter break writing for a potion journal put out every month. He was an avid reader of it.

Nothing eventful happened until their third private potions lesson.

As usual, Mabel knocked on the door and got the reply of, "Enter." She pushed the door open after composing herself, and got straight to work. But a sniffle betrayed her.

Snape heard her sniffle, which was not common for Mabel, and looked up from his potion. He realized then that her eyes were puffy and red, and her hands were not working as steadily as they normally did. He had already told her several times that to make a good potion you had to be of a sound state of mind, and she was definitely distraught about something. HE could almost see the tear tracks on her cheeks.

Snape watched Mabel work for a few seconds, feeling taken aback by her sudden unsteadiness. He reached across the desk and put his hand on hers, stopping her work. She looked up, eyes brimming with tears. His voice was soft and caring as he spoke, "What's wrong?"

Mabel sniffled again, and shook her head, looking down at her potion. It was obvious she did not want to talk about it, but Snape had a feeling it was because she was afraid to talk about it, not because she did not want to say anything. So he walked around the desk to the side that she stood on, and brushed back a lock of her hair as tears began to run down her cheeks.

Snape felt a profound sadness for his pupil, seeing her in such a distraught state. He pulled Mabel in to his arms and she threw her arms around his neck, crying on to his shoulder. He wans't sure what was wrong, but knew she would tell him when she was ready. Her sobs were quiet, obviously she was used to crying without drawing attention to that fact. "Oh Mabel," he whispered in to her hair, holding her close.

As she sobbed against his shoulder, she began to choke out her story, gasping for air in between words. "They took… your potion."

This astonished Snape, not because someone took it, but because Mabel was so distraught over it. He had not realized just how much the hearts meant to her. "Who took it?"

"My… dorm-mates… they took it." She paused, trying to choke down some air so she could continue. "They saw me… last night… watching the fumes… and they stole it… while I was…" she sniffled, "asleep." And she seemed to almost collapse, her tears soaking his shoulder.

Snape listened, and found himself to be a bit upset at some of his Slytherin's. He knew they were sneaky, but to do something mean to their fellow house member was not exactly the Slytherin style.

"I know it meant a lot to you, but it will be fine." All Snape could do was hold Mabel close to console her. After a few minutes of sobbing, Mabel seemed to calm down, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She had not been able to smell it before, but as her nose began to clear while the tears subsided, she could take in the scent of Snape. It was something soothing, and she could smell the faint scent of peppermint from what she assumed he had added to his tea.

She broke away slowly from him, sniffling, looking around for Kleenex. Snape seemed to read her mind however, and offered her his handkerchief with a faint smile. She took it gratefully, and he spoke softly,

"Go sit by the fire, I'll pour us some hot cocoa."

Mabel nodded her head and placed herself in one of the leather chairs, which had been warmed by the fire. Snape turned to a small table in the corner, and just like in the Great Hall, the pot filled with hot cocoa, a side dish filling with marshmallows. Snape poured them both a cup and offered Mabel the one with marshmallows. She took it silently, and then chuckled a bit, cracking a smile. This caught Snape off guard, but he rolled with it,

"What's so funny?"

Mabel looked at him, then back at her hot cocoa. "I love marshmallows in my hot cocoa, but I haven't had them in years."

Snape laughed then too, glad she was so easily amused by something so simple. They sat in relative silence while watching the fire and sipping their hot cocoas.

When they were finally done Snape looked at his watch, realizing it was time for her to leave. "You should probably get going."

Mabel nodded her head and stood up, rubbing her eyes, which were now a bit sore from all the crying she had done.

"Would you like to know a trick that will help calm you down?" It was not really a trick, more like something Snape had been thinking about.

Mabel looked up, and then nodded. She hoped it was something that really worked. Snape turned to face her, and closed his eyes.

"Now close your eyes." So Mabel closed her eyes. "Breathe in through your nose…" they both breathe-in in unison, "and out through your mouth." Again they both did this in unison.

After a few seconds, Mabel spoke up, "What next?" But she barely had time to finish her sentence before she felt Snapes warm breath on her face, and then his lips gently touching hers. She felt herself relax, more from the soft kiss than she would have from deep breathing.

She felt Snape wrap his arms gently around her waist, his touch suddenly seeming much more intimate. She slid an arm up around his shoulders, her other hand gently resting against his cheek. Mabel kissed him back, closing the gap of space between them. She did not feel as scared as she thought she would be, for she had known this would happen for a while.

Mabel broke away after a few minutes, catching his eyes. She bit her lip, and then smiled at him, slowly breaking away. She let her hands linger on his chest for a moment while he spoke, "I hope I'm not out of line." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Oh no, you were not." She smiled up at him, and quickly pecked him on the cheek. He laughed, and so did Mabel. She grabbed her things and left with a small good night and a smile. He was now left with his thoughts as he stared in to the fire.

(Snapes perspective) Her breath was warm against his, her lips soft. She was always so gentle; it was different than the way the rest of the world had treated him. Snape could not believe he was doing this, but she was so beautiful even when she was crying. And she was so sad about such a small thing, not knowing he could easily make her another potion just like the last one. Her body was so soft against his, even with her clothes on. She smelt beautiful, and whenever he was around her he felt a calming sensation that always cheered him up.

He had missed her over the winter break. In fact he found it difficult to concentrate on anything because his thoughts were filled with her. He knew that his soul was made entirely of flaws, but stitched together with good intentions. He did not know where this would go, but he knew that for now it would lead somewhere good. He wanted to feel more of her soft skin, but knew he could not. Inside him there was longing, this girl was an open page book marking. She was so close, yet this girl was half his age.


	8. Chapter 8

Valentines day approached quite quickly to Hogwarts. Most of the students made their way to Hogsmeade on Valentines weekend. Mabel chose not to go since she never had anyone to go with.

That Monday Mabel found herself once again in the potion master's office. Their meetings had gone on quite as normal as they were before Snape and Mabel had kissed. However, there were the few times that they kissed goodnight, neither one wanting to be out of the others' company. Tonight though, Snape had no plans of doing potions with Mabel.

Much of the night was spent in a chair. Snape had only just sat down when Mabel came to him, one leg on either side of him as she sat in his lap, kissing him with her soft lips. Snape put his arms around her waist, feeling her chest pressed against his. Her tongue was hot, but her lips were soft and passionate with his. She ran a hand through his hair, his soothing scent filling her nostrils.

He did not want to restrain himself, but he knew he had to around Mabel since she was so young and so special to him already. Snape had already decided to take it slow, and so far that seemed to be what Mabel wanted to do. They did not talk about "us," for they both knew it was completely taboo what they were doing.

Snape did however untuck her white button up shirt, running his hands over her lower back. He skin was so soft, just like her lips. How had an angel like this manages to find its way in to his heart? He felt so lucky as he scratched his nails gently on her skin. And then he got a surprise: he was pretty sure that Mabel had just broken their kiss to let out a soft moan. HE stopped scratching, looking up at her as she looked down at him. She smiled her genuine smile, and whispered, "Do it again."

He obliged her, scratching her lightly again on her lower back and she threw herself into a passionate kiss with Snape, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her back arched, pushing her body against his and he could feel himself trying to not get out of control. This was perhaps one of the best nights he had had in a very, very long time.

Their hour was up far too soon for them both, and Mabel had to break away from Snape unwillingly. She found herself weak at the knees, but Snape was instantly standing with an arm around her waist to steady her. She smiled at Snape and went to her bag, pulling out a small brown package. She then held it up towards Snape, smiling.

"I figured I would give you this, and we would do potions tonight. But… I had a far better night than I had expected, and forgot about this until just now." She was blushing slightly, still remembering how she forgot to give him a present for Christmas.

Snape crossed the room to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a single rose. But this one was enchanted. It was slowly blooming. He then walked over to Mabel and handed it to her with a smile on his face.

"It's enchanted to bloom open and close every few minutes."

Mabel found herself in awe of the rose, gently taking it from Snape's hand. It was beautiful, and a deep red color with a green stem, all the spikes on it having been dulled so she would not cut herself. She then looked at Snape and held up the box, "It's just a little something that I know you would like."

Snape took the box, smiling down at it. He unwrapped the plain brown parcel, to discover a box. "A box" he stated.

Mabel giggled at this, and shook her head, "Well open it."

Snape chuckled too, having been out to make her laugh. He opened the box to discover some of his favorite Swiss Buttered Toffee's. His eyes lit up, since he had not had them in years. "You remembered? I mentioned that once."

"I know, but I committed it to memory for you."

Snape was astounded at her intellect at times like these, and he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her in to a hug. "Thank you" he whispered in to her ear, and she whispered back,

"You're welcome."

They shared a brief kiss goodnight and Mabel was off to the common room. She got to her dorm and changed in to her pajama's, not in the mood to do anything but watch her new rose bud over and over as it sat in a tiny glass vase next to her bed. It was even better than the potion that let off steam in the shape of hearts. Was she swooning? She did not care, because to her, he was perfect.

As the semester wore on, the private potions lessons were a small break in Mabel and Snape's weekly routines. A time when they could be alone and relaxed, whether they were making potions or spending more intimate moments together. Mabel still wanted to learn, and Snape still wanted to teach her for she had great potential. But the last meeting of the semester seemed to come too soon.

Mabel still brought her cauldron, Potion-Making Kit and her _Magical Drafts and Potions_ book. She learned quite quickly though that she would not need it.

Snape laced his fingers with hers and pushed her slowly towards the desk. She moved silently backwards, until she bumped in to the desk. Snape smiled down at her and gently tilted her head up with two fingers, using that same hand to brush the hair away from her throat. His breath was warm against her throat, and his kisses were like fire on her skin. She rested one hand on the edge of the desk, and one hand on his chest. He kissed her throat softly, one side and then the other, and Mabel could feel her breath catching in her throat.

Snape's mouth connected with her finally and Mabel could feel his arms wrap around her. He was always so sweet to her, which was far different than the Snape she saw in class. He was his same old stiff self during class, mostly ignoring Mabel or awarding her a few points for her house. However during these intimate moments, all his attention was on her. His tongue was hot and she could feel he was getting aroused, as tended to happen. Just then she felt his arms tighten around and lift her up, seating her on the desk. He gently moved his hands over her clothes around to her waist and to her knees, spreading her legs so he could stand between them, all the while holding a passionate kiss with her. He could feel her recoil slightly and then pull back from the kiss, pushing down her skirt a little bit. He took his hands off her thighs, looking alarmed. Had he gone too far?

"Sorry… I just – " She was looking at his shoulder, rather than his face.

Snape cut her off, shaking his head, "Don't apologize. If I went too far, I should be the one saying sorry."

"No, I just… am caught off guard, is all."

"If you want to stop, perhaps sit by the fire? – "

"No, I don't want to stop." She said quickly, looking up at his eyes. He looked apologetic, and Mabel put a hand on his cheek. She leaned up and kissed him softly. "I don't want to stop" she whispered again, her lips so close to his.

They found themselves enveloped in a passionate kiss again, one of Snape's hands on the outside of her left knee, not daring go farther. But he loved the smoothness of her skin, and the warmth of it. The way she ran her fingers through his hair was intoxicating, and they both found each other brilliantly exciting.

They both knew it would be a very, very long summer. And after their hour was up, Mabel left Snape with her address should he feel like writing her a letter (although she didn't expect any). They lingered on a small kiss before Mabel exited, knowing she would not feel intimacy like this again until September.


	9. Chapter 9

_Mabel,_

_ I hope your summer is going well. From what you told me over the semester, I am sure you have found plenty of books to keep you busy. I figured I should send you a letter, if for nothing else, to perk up your mood as I am sure it is quite low being holed up in your bedroom._

_ I have been busy writing an article for Potions Monthly and it is coming along well. There is quite a bit of research to do for each article. I can show you the article in September when we return to school if you would like._

_ On a lighter note, I would like to tell you that I look forward to our potions lessons next semester. Each week seems slightly more mundane than the rest without Monday nights to break up the monotony. There is a big event happening this next year at Hogwarts, and I cannot tell you much but I suggest you buy yourself some dress robes._

_ Best wishes,_

_ Severus Snape_

Mabel was completely surprised when she had been sitting at her windowsill, watching the sunset as she did every evening. A small dot had appeared on the horizon, and she found it peculiar because planes never flew over her home. But as it got closer she could see two beating wings, and she knew it was an owl by the way it flew because she had only see them fly a million times. The own had swooped in through her window, a plain barn own that she assumed had come from a wizarding post office. The own had been disappointed when she had no owl treats for it, for she did not ever expect to get letters.

She'd instantly recognized the writing on the front, and was only slightly surprised to see such a short letter. Then again, he wrote about how busy he was, what with the _Potions Monthly_ and all. But she threw herself on her bed and read the letter at least three times before she rolled on to her back and let out a soft sigh as she stared at the ceiling.

This letter meant he was thinking about her. She had wondered about that often since she spent a lot of time thinking about him. It felt as though the summer was dragging on, but his letter gave her the ability to wait it out until September 1st.

* * *

The Great Hall was filling with students for the beginning of term feast. The crowd came to a hush as the first years were led in, all huddled together and looking worried. All eyes were on the first years, all eyes except for one pair. Mabel was busy looking at the staff table, taking this opportunity while everybody's attention was elsewhere. She had not forgot what Snape looked like, but she took this opportunity to look over his features from afar. He was not looking back at her, as would be expected, looking at the first year sorting just like everybody else. He had not changed a bit, of course, but when she looked away she felt very self-conscious. She realized that perhaps she should have put her hair up? Or gotten a new set of robes? Well, she had had to buy dress robes, so she had figured she would not get any new school robes. Finally coming back to the real world after these thoughts, she realized the sorting was almost over and she was that much closer to her first potions lesson.

The classroom came to a hush as the potions professor walked in, his black cloak billowing behind him as usual. When he got to the podium at the front of the classroom, he turned to face the class, scanning the room. Mabel knew he would not look at her any differently than any other student, but planned on talking to him after the lesson about their private potions lessons.

"Antidotes" said Snape, looking around at them all, his cold black eyes glittering unpleasantly. "You should all be expecting a vigorous course load this year, for antidotes are one of the most essential concoctions that everybody should have. You will begin with brewing a Deflating Draught, which should take you the entire hour, if brewed properly." He tapped his wand on the chalkboard and the ingredients and instructions appeared already written. The class began their lesson, gathering ingredients and such. Mabel went about her business as usual in class, finishing her potion first. She bottled it and brought it up to the front, and when she got to the front to turn it in, Snape spoke to her,

"I need to speak with you after class, Miss Sykes." His tone was very short and cold, but she knew it was just to keep up appearances. Mabel nodded her head, not replying verbally and went back to her desk. She cleaned up her ingredients and sat back down in her seat.

"You should be bottling your antidotes now and bringing them to the front" came the potions professor's voice. There was scurrying all around the classroom as people cleaned up the rest of their potions and left for lunch. Mabel remained in her seat however.

Once everybody had left, Mabel stood up and walked to Snape's desk where he sat scribbling out some grades of the potions that lay in front of him. "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

Snape stopped writing, and put his quill back in the inkwell. He looked up at her, eyes still cold and it made Mabel worry. "I would like to offer giving you private potions lessons again this year, for you still show great potential to becoming a potions mistress."

Mabel tried to hold back her smile, though she knew she did not hide all of it. "I'd like to continue our lessons." She nodded her head as she said this.

"Monday nights then, 6 o'clock."

Mabel nodded her head, a broader smile appearing on her face and she made herself hurry out of the potions classroom so Snape would not see just how excited she was. In the empty hallway she could not help but have a little bounce in her step as she made her way to the Great Hall for lunch.

Mabel made sure to get ready for her potions lesson this time, wanting to look good for her first private potions lesson. She put her hair up in a high ponytail, and made sure to wear a freshly ironed white button up shirt. At 6 o'clock sharp, she knocked on the door to the potions office.

"Enter" was the word that greeted her, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself before she pushed open the door. A warm fire greeted her, as well as Snape stirring a potion that was letting off soft hissing noises. Upon seeing Mabel, Snape smiled slightly, glad to finally be alone with her. Mabel set down her cauldron, Potion-Making Kit and _Magical Drafts and Potions._

"Did you have a good summer?" he asked. His eyes were softer now as he looked at Mabel, noticing her pretty face now that her hair was pulled back.

"I did." That was a lie; her summer was as dull as every other summer, although she did have the perk of getting Snape's letter. She opened her potions book and pulled out the letter, still in the envelope with his writing ion it. She held it up, her smile broadening. "I got your letter, and it made my summer much better."

Snape looked at the letter, his smile broadening as well. "I'm glad you received it. I know it may have been short, but I knew you would appreciate getting it."

"I loved getting it. It was the best thing that happened in my summer." She put the letter back in her book, but Snape stopped her by putting a hand on hers.

"You won't be using that book anymore. I got you a new one."

Mabel's face lit up, because she was shocked. Sure they had finished the potions in the last book, but he was giving her a whole entirely new potions book? It was more than she had expected, for now she would have two excellent potions books.

He opened the top drawer of his desk, and pulled out a leather bound book that was tan colored, with black writing on it. The titled read _Moste Potente Potions_. He handed it to Mabel, and she felt as though she was unworthy of this book. It was heavy, and beautifully perfect. She cracked it open, and the smell of freshly printed words made her eyes water. But she blinked back the tears, and looked back up at Snape. "It's wonderful, thank you."

Snape was smiling at her, watching her reaction. "You are quite welcome. Perhaps we should start on the first chapter, which I believe is Gregory's Unctuous Unction. Quite an interesting potion."

Mabel got to work right away, enjoying working with spells again. She had wished all summer long that she could work with potions, yet she had not been able to. The first half of the potion turned out perfect, and at the end of the hour she set the potion aside to cure over the next week.

When she put the cauldron down on the corner table however, she felt some arms gently wrap around her. Mabel let out a small giggle, and turned around, sliding her hands up Snape's chest slowly.

Snape let out a soft breath, his words quiet when he spoke, "I missed you."

"I missed you too" Mabel whispered back as she got up on her tip toes and leaned her head towards Snape's. Their kiss was soft, and very sweet, both having missed the other badly over the summer vacation. Snape was the one to break away from the kiss, and he kissed Mabel on the cheek as he bade her goodnight.

_Snapes perspective:_ He didn't need to see her up close to know where her sparse freckles were, or what color her eyes were. Mabel was sitting far away from him in the Great Hall, and he could only steal a few glances at her in between conversations with Professor Flitwick. He could not wait until their first potions class, but he knew it would be the most difficult for him. How was he supposed to keep himself composed with Mabel sitting there, doing her potions perfectly? How was he supposed to teach an entire class when all he wanted was to sit with Mabel and enjoy solely her company? He knew he would have to wait a week for that.

The way she brushed back her hair behind her ear as she bent over her simmering cauldron caught his eye. Snape tried hard during the lesson to pay attention to other students, but he found himself wandering past Mabel two extra times in his bouts around the room. Her skin looked so soft as he passed by and he could almost smell her scent above the fumes of the potions. He wanted to have her alone, to teach her things he knew and hold her close. He watched her work out of the corners of his eyes and saw the way her soft fingers moved with the ingredients, adding just the right amount and cutting them the perfect way. It amazed him sometimes when he watched her. And he knew he would get that on Monday nights, when he would be able to watch her all he wanted and nobody would be suspicious.


	10. Chapter 10

Over the next few weeks Mabel and Snape fell in to a weekly routine, both looking forward to Monday nights. These nights were mostly filled with learning potions and Snape reassuring her that she had a knack for potions. There was the rare occasion when they would spend the night curled up by the fire, enjoying each other's touch. Snape was willing to be patient with her during the lessons, however Mabel seemed to catch on quickly, so the lessons went by quickly.

Before they knew it, winter had approached and it had been announced that there would be a Yule Ball this winter. There had not been a ball at Hogwarts in nearly a decade, so there was much excitement. Mabel could not wait to wear her new dress robe that she had bought. The last Monday before the end of the semester, Snape made his move. He wanted to be closer to her, and he could tell she trusted him. Mabel also wanted to move their relationship farther, knowing he would never hurt her and would stop if she was really too scared with anything.

"The Yule Ball is this Saturday." They were once again speaking over their separate cauldrons, brewing potions.

"Mm-hmm" Mabel nodded, lifting her focus then from her delicate chopping of daisy roots.

He paused, not sure how to phrase what he was going to say. "It would be a good night to spend together, and nobody would notice since there is no curfew on that night."

Mabel smiled as he said this, getting excited. "Could we really do that, and get away with it?"

"Of course. Everybody would expect you to have gone off with someone, and me to go up to my chambers. It would be perfect, and you could go back to your dorm in the early morning."

Mabel thought about it for a few seconds, and then nodded her head. "Alright." She then smiled a bit more broadly as she thought about the prospect of spending private time with Snape that did not include doing potions. "Alright, that sounds wonderful."  
Snape chuckled because he could tell she was getting excited. "Meet me outside my office at ten-thirty."

Mabel just nodded her head, smiling in to her potion as she added the daisy roots and began to stir them in.

* * *

The night of the Yule Ball arrived and the grounds were fairly quiet and snowy outside. But inside was an air of excitement, people coming down from their dorms to enter the ball or wait for their partners. All the professors were on duty, making sure nothing bad happened although they all knew that the night would be filled with well-mannered frivolity.

Mabel made her way up to the ball, lagging behind a few other Slytherins. She had not even tried to get a date, and nobody had asked her, but she did not care. She had a feeling that tonight she was much more attractive than she normally was. She had put her hair up on top of her head, pinned in to place with bobby pins. Her gown was a dark green color, and down to the ground. It laced up in the back, with a corset fashioned in to the gown so it laced up in the back. It was cut in a v-neck in the front, and she wore a simple lace choker. Her outfit was simple yet elegant, and showed off her tiny waist and her slim neck. She entered the ball, not looking for anybody. She was feeling very self-conscious about herself, since she was not used to showing this much skin or spending this much time getting ready.

She was anticipating seeing Snape, and him seeing her. However she was also very nervous for she was not sure if he would think she looked beautiful or think she just looked silly. As the ball commenced, Mabel tried to watch the dancing, but her eyes kept wandering for Snape.

Finally, she spotted him, and could have sworn he turned to look away quickly when she looked at him. This made her smile, but her thought was interrupted by one of the boys in her year. Jeff Murphy was a tall, good-looking boy with dirty blonde hair and green eyes. Mabel had helped him with potions once in their second year, but they generally never interacted. However, this interaction was different than that.

Jeff nodded to Mabel, smiling his extremely handsome smile. "Would you care to dance, Mabel?" The question caught Mabel off guard, and she blinked at him a few times before it registered. Then she nodded her head, a bit stunned that she had been asked to dance. Maybe she really did look good, since Jeff never seemed to pay attention to her. So she took his hand and he lead her to the dance floor. The music was very classical, but she did not mind dancing with one of her hands in his, the other hand on his shoulder.

The talk was casual, and they mostly spoke about homework or classes. But Mabel noted that Jeff was a very good dancer, leading her effortlessly around the dance floor. It was quite relaxing, and he made her laugh more than once. At the end of a few songs he bowed, and she curtseyed, and she made a b-line of the dance floor. Although it had been fun, she realized it was almost ten-thirty and she had somewhere to be. She quickly made her way to the door, slipping out of it and walking in the direction of the common room. But instead of continuing down the hallway she turned right, going down the staircase. She saw Snape standing by his office, and smiled at him, quickening her pace. Once level with him they embraced, and he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful tonight."

Mabel whispered a thank you before Snape took her hand and lead her quickly down the stairs. On the right nearly at the bottom of the staircase he pushed aside one of the curtains, revealing a hallway. Mabel looked down the hallway in awe, torches on the walls lighting the way. She walked through the hidden passageway, shivering slightly. But upon shivering, she felt a warm coat draped over her shoulders and she smiled back at Snape who was following her. Up three steps and through a large, dark wooden door Mabel found herself in Snape's chambers.

There was a living room area, with a plush loveseat couch and two single-seat couches, the fire burning in the fireplace having warmed the room. There was a door leading to the bedroom then, and a door leading to a bathroom. He had bookshelves lining the walls, filled to the brim with books. Mabel was instantly drawn to these, gently running her fingers over their spines. They were of all different topics, mostly non-fiction, and mostly about potions or dark magic. She had an inkling that Snape was in to dark magic, but she had never pressed him about it.

Snape closed the door behind himself, and saw her instantly drawn to all his books. He smiled gently and walked over to her, standing next to her. "I have some books that the library doesn't, and if you would like to borrow any of them, please feel free."

Mabel looked up at him, nodding her head. "I'd love to borrow some of them, that would be wonderful."

She could not help but lean forward, touching her lips to his. The jacket he had allowed Mabel to borrow fell to the floor and Mabel threw herself in to the kiss, nearly knocking Snape back. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards the bedroom. He did not care what happened tonight, he just wanted to spend time with her. Little did he know what was in store for the night. "For tonight," he whispered in to the kiss, "Call me Severus."

* * *

She was still wearing her underwear, though every other piece of clothing was balled up on the floor next to the bed. Mabel sat straddling Snape, Snape sitting up and pressing her chest to his. Their kisses were deep and full of passion as Snape teased at her underwear, wanting them off but she had insisted she keep them on… at least for now. Unlucky for him he was using his left hand, and when Mabel went to move his hand she felt his dark mark. Instantly Mabel broke away from the kiss, astounded to have felt the tattoo-like mark on his forearm.

She looked at Snape with shock, and he instantly put his arm behind his back, looking away from Mabel as if embarrassed. A silence fell between them, and then Mabel spoke. "So it's true, what people say. And I still feel the same way about you Severus." She leaned down and kissed his jaw, towards his ear, gently licking his ear lobe. Snape let out a soft breath, not having let many people know his weak spot. He turned his head slowly towards hers, gently stroking her cheek with his right hand.

"Thank you," he paused, "for understanding, Mabel" he whispered to her, before pulling her in to a passionate kiss. He was hard against her, and could not deal with waiting anymore. He wanted to feel her. She could feel him getting excited, and felt the same way. She had never been with a person like this before, but she knew she was in love with Snape, and wanted to be with him. He rolled her over on to her back and kissed down her soft stomach. Her skin was like silk against his, and he could feel her arch her back as he kissed his way down. Snape then pulled off her cotton panties, sliding his fingers between her slits, listening to her soft moans. Why was everything she did so perfect? But he could not hold himself back much longer, and she was very wet. He moved himself between her legs, laying missionary style, and whispered, "I promise I'll be gentle."

Mabel brushed back his hair, replying, "I trust you." She ran her nails down his chest, and his eyes closed as he felt the pleasure coursing through his veins. He pushed himself in to her, knowing it would hurt her the first time. She let out a small gasp as he pushed his full length in to her. It hurt, and she knew it would keep hurting, at least this time. She bit back the word "oww," knowing next time it would be pleasurable, though everything leading up to this moment had been amazing.

He slowly pumped in her, breathing heavily as he tried to keep himself calm. Mabel wrapped her arms around Snape, their breathing synchronizing as he reached his climax, pumping faster in her, though still restraining himself. He bit her shoulder when he reached his peak, and as he had learned earlier, she did not mind being bitten.

He let out a soft groan once he was finished, and he slowly pulled out of her. He was breathing heavily as he lay beside her and pulled her close, sharing a sweet kiss with her that he wished would last forever.

* * *

Mabel did not want to leave, she wanted to fall asleep in Snape's arms where she felt warm and safe. He was so gentle with her in these moments. But she knew she had to go, it was nearly one-thirty in the morning and if she wanted to get away with being gone and unnoticed, she had to get back to her dorm. Snape helped her lace up the back of her dress. He had also made her some tea that would soothe the pain she felt between her legs. He had even added two lumps of sugar for her. Mabel felt better after the tea, and thus forced herself to get dressed in order to leave. Snape gently kissed her neck as she tried to re-do her hair, and Mabel could not help but giggle and try to shoo him away. Snape chuckled, switching instead to the other side of her neck, making it difficult for her to do her hair.

She finally managed to get herself composed and kissed Snape goodnight. He savored the last kiss, knowing that he probably would not see her nor talk to her until the spring semester started up again. It was a sweet farewell, and Mabel finally made her way out from behind the curtain and back to her dorm room to shower and dream of Snape.


End file.
